Setting Up an Email Address for Real Estate – Ideas, Recommendations, and Tips

A good business email address is vital in the real estate business, but setting one up might not be quite as simple as it first seems. There are a few things you need to do to make your email address stand out from the crowd and stick in people’s minds, and in this article, we’re going to take a look at exactly how you can create the best email for real estate agents possible.

Should You Use Your Brokers Domain?

Using an email account from your broker can seem like an obvious option, especially if you’re new to the game and don’t have much experience in using or managing a professional email account, but it is generally a bad idea. If you set up under your broker’s name rather than your own, you run the risk of having to change your email address if you change brokers (or they change providers).

While this might not seem like a big deal, just think about all the work and money that can be wrapped up in an email address after only a few months–contacts, logins, marketing material such as yard signs, videos, posters, and leaflets. All of that goes in the trash along with your old email address if you ever have to switch. Especially if you have been utilizing any real estate email software tools for mass email distribution.

What’s more, if you’re using your broker’s email system, that means they have control over your email – do you really want something as important as email to be in someone else’s hands?

When creating a real estate email address, a better route is to set up your own. That way you can keep it indefinitely and have complete control over every aspect.

Choosing A Provider for Your Real Estate Email Address

First, let’s make it very clear – do not use any free provider that requires you to use their domain. We’re talking about: Google, Outlook, Yahoo, etc. These are great for personal use, but when you’re looking to be professional, you don’t want another company’s name in your real estate email address! Which of these email addresses looks more professional?

example@yahoo.com

example@findyournexthome.com

The second one, right? It presents the owner as professional, serious, and trustworthy.

There are plenty of email providers out there that will allow you to create an email address with a custom domain, but what is the best email provider for real estate agents? The one that strikes a balance between ease of use, security, and price. Some of the biggest business email hosts are:

1. Google Workspace

Google’s business alternative to Gmail is a good option for anyone already within the Google ecosystem since it uses many of the same tools, settings, etc., making it very intuitive. Additionally, Google is a very trusted company that claims not to access your email content for marketing. It starts at $6/month for one account, which makes it ideal for a real estate email address.

2. Office 365 Outlook

This is Microsoft’s offering and comes bundled with their online business tools, such as Teams, OneDrive, etc. Any new real estate agents who are already familiar with Outlook/Hotmail will probably feel at home with this provider. Microsoft is also a highly respected company, making it a secure choice, and is $6/month for one account.

3. Your Website Host

That’s right, many web hosting providers bundle email hosting into their small business packages. If you already have a website, check with your host to see if this is a service they can provide. If you don’t have a website yet, make it one of the features you look for when researching web hosts. A big benefit of using the same host is that it is often much cheaper and sometimes even free to add email accounts!

Choosing a Domain

Whether setting up on Google or using your website host, all of the options for a personalized email require a domain name. A good domain name will reflect who you are and what you do and is almost always the same as your business name. So, at this point, if you have a business name, check if that domain is available. If you don’t have a business name yet, it’s time to start thinking!

Remember that your domain name and real estate email names will be hard to change down the line, so think carefully and wisely. Don’t worry if you don’t want a website yet; you can use your domain exclusively for email – it is very common to have an email-only domain and Google Workplace, for example.

How To Choose Real Estate Email Names

Don’t try to be clever, it will never come across well via email. Your real estate email address should be short, clear, professional, and reflect your brand. Keeping your email address simple makes it easy to remember, which is exactly what you want people to do!

One of the most common formulas for professional real estate email names is:

yourname@companyname.com

This is perfect as it has all relevant information and comes across as very professional. What’s more, because it is such a common way to create emails, there is a good chance that a potential client will remember it.

Choosing a real estate email address is a little trickier than other businesses due to certain rules about the wording you can and can’t use. The National Association of Realtors® (NAR), for example, disallows the use of the word “realtor” next to anything other than the member’s personal name, brokerage name, or the @ symbol, .com, or other extensions. Anything else is banned.

Certain states also have legislation that may dictate what you can and can’t include in your email address, so check carefully about your location before committing to a domain or email address. This can all get a little confusing, so to clear things up let’s take a look at some real estate email address examples – both good and bad:

The bad:

• joe@TheBestRealtor.com – this uses “realtor” next to other words and so can’t be used.
• jess@NYCRealtor.com – this includes the name of a place next to “realtor” and so can’t be used.
• jentherealtor@findyournexthome.com – this includes the word “the” next to “realtor” and so can’t be used.

The ugly:

• jenrealtor@findyournexthome.com – this places “realtor” next to the member’s name, the @ symbol, and the company so can be used but probably shouldn’t because it is messy and confusing.
• RealtorJeninNYC@findyournexthome.com – this places “realtor” next to the member’s name so it can be used, but probably shouldn’t because it is messy and confusing.

The good:

• jen@findyournexthome.com – does not use any realtor mark so can be used and is clean, clear, and professional. This is how your real estate email names should look.

You’ve Got Your Real Estate Email Address, What Now?

You’ve got your email, fantastic! However, if you really want to push your productivity to the next level, getting a great real estate email address is only the first step. Now, it’s time to put it to work.

Get an All-In-One Email Client – Spike

Once you set up an email address with a dedicated domain, especially through a web host, it often only comes with a relatively basic web interface. If you want to make the most of your new email address, you need an all-in-one app for your email on your phone, desktop, and the web. This is where Spike comes in, bringing email into the 21st century as well as offering a host of other productivity tools from a centralized calendar and contacts list to video meetings and voice messages. Installing Spike is easy and free, and you can get started right here.

Merge Multiple Email Inboxes and Calendars Into One

Spike isn’t just a tool for your new real estate email address, but a place that can merge all your email addresses into one single, powerful platform. That way, you can check any message in the same place, without having to switch from platform to platform, remembering all those passwords in the process!

Spike merges not only your email inboxes but also your calendars, so you can have all your important appointments – private and professional – in a single, unified calendar. You also have the option to RSVP to events without even opening the invite email, making securing viewings and meetings a walk in the park.

Manage Your Emails Like a Pro

Email has been one of the most important forms of business communication for decades, but that doesn’t mean you have to deal with twenty-year-old tools. Spike modernizes your real estate email account with Conversational Email, Priority Inbox, and more.

Conversational email simplifies life, letting you manage emails like instant messages – no unnecessary signatures or messy threads, just the important stuff and none of the clutter. You can organize your messages like a traditional inbox, but Spike also offers People mode, which sorts conversations by contact – every conversation, attachment, and social profile in one place along with profile pictures, online indicators, and read receipts. Powerful tools for lead generation and contact development.

Priority Inbox sorts your mail for you, delivering only what’s important and sending everything else to the “Other” pile. All those newsletters and online recipients won’t clutter up your inbox, wasting your time and pulling your focus. Let Spike prioritize your email, so you can get on with what’s important.

Extra Tip: Learn to Avoid Spam Filters

You’ve got your real estate email address set up, you’ve downloaded Spike to supercharge your productivity, but want to make certain that your emails are getting through? Take a little time to ensure that your emails don’t end up in spam. There are several things you need to check over to make sure your emails get through, but a simple start is ensuring that you:

• Have a good subject line
• Use a solid greeting addressed to a real person
• Check your spelling and grammar
• Only send attachments that are 100% needed
• Don’t include loads of hyperlinks
• Don’t ask for personal information (when it can be avoided)
• Authenticate your email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to avoid spam emails.

Now Start Sending Emails!

If you’ve followed along, you’ve now probably got the best email address for realtors possible. Using a professional email address with a dedicated domain puts you in a great position, the only thing left to do is start using it! If you’re not used to using email in a professional setting, there is some basic email etiquette you should familiarize yourself with and you’re sure to be fine in no time with the help of Spike’s productivity tools.